Session 2 - 14OCT2023

Attendees

• Tim ✅
• Walter ✅
• Erica ✅
• Jin ✅
  
• Nick ✅
  
• Alex ❌
  

Copy/Paste Source: ✅ ❌

Recap to Current Situation

• Group finished quest and got on retainer with the Council of Few
• Figuring out what to do from here
• Group leveled up to Level 2

Session Notes

•  The group has decided to go to Rizz's Provisions to follow up on Cloc following them on the previous quest
  
• Once at Rizz''s Provisions, the group asks Rizz about why Cloc was following us
• Rizz claims that Cloc was being a bit over-exuberant in his pursuit of the group
• Rizz actually has a proposition for work for the group
  • There is a shipment she is expecting that is a couple weeks late
  • It was coming from the west, the village of Wudu
  • It was a shipment of arms
  • Should have taken 7 days to get here, it is now 15 days later
  • It was packed in several large wooden crates marked with Rizz's Provisions
• The group decides to take on the quest and sets out in the Western direction
• The group also decides to check in with the inn to see if there is anything Rory wants in the western direction
  • Rory wants cool artifacts to use as display pieces in the inn
  • He is aware of several burial mounds that may contain artifacts
  • The group lets him know that if they find anything, they will bring it back
• The weather is a slight drizzle
• We encounter several other caravans of goods traveling the trade route
• Nick asks travelers about Eknon the Vex
  • He learns that there are rumors of hobgoblins causing problems in the far western region of Acium
• We  notice that some plant growth along the road was smashed down and is starting to grow back
  • The track is heading south toward the river
• We follow the tracks, Nick is taking point
• We reach the river and find a sandbar that is fordable by a wagon
• After crossing the river, we hear some clamoring and yelling
• We see four humans in leather armor that appear quite desperate and they attack!
• ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!
  • Erica kneecaps the first bandit
  • Nick tries to trick them into giving up using a disguise, but it doesn't work because it was a ridiculous and bad plan
  • Walter one-hit KOs a bandit 
  • Jin kills a bandit and his body begins floating away in the river
  • Nick knocks out the last bandit
  • Two dead, two alive (one unconscious, one kneecapped)
• END COMBAT
• The group questions the kneecapped guy for information about the missing shipment
• Jin persuades the guy to be helpful
• The bandit claims that our party is with "the others"
  • The Others here sound like a group of mercenaries that had attacked their bandit group and killed almost everybody
  • We find out that this bandit group did steal from Rizz's Provisions
  • A group of mercenaries showed up and slaughtered the bandits to take back the shipment
  • These bandits managed to escape
  • He will help show us back to his camp, but won't take us farther
• The bandit camp is tucked between some hills, and there is the scent of a recent campfire in the air
• 15 dead bandit bodies are in the remains of the camp
• We find some partially emptied boxes marked with Rizz's Provisions
• Our arcana investigation revealed that one of the mercenaries cast the spell Fireball
• The investigation of the battle scene revealed that the attackers were highly skilled and dispatched the bandits extremely efficiently
• We manage to find 10 gp each and load up four crates on a cart
• Nick decides to talk to a nearby bush and see if he can find out if there are any horses nearby
• The holly shrub he is talking to shakes a little bit, leans to the northeast, shakes, and then releases a sulfuric smell
• We decide to take the crates back to Rizz
  • However, we decide to omit the details about the other mercenary party
• Rizz is happy to see us and gives us 20 GP each
  • We also get a 10% discount on future purchases at Rizz's
• We return back to the inn
• The next day, we see, at the inn, a new mercenary party
  • A guy in a green cloak and bow
  • A dude in a robe (wizard?)
  • A woman in full plate armor (Triginta)
  • A possible artificer
  • All humans - these guys match the description from the bandit that attacked the bandit camp
• Rory, the innkeeper, is intimidated by them and wants us to stick around a little bit to help keep him safe
• We split the party:
  • Nick and Erica report to the council of the few, telling them about the potential link between the ruins and the party at the inn
    • The master sends out a message and thanks them
    • A reply is received at the Council of the Few
      • The master is being told to close up shop by leadership of the council of the few and that he needs to leave town immediately
      • The master is low-key freaking out, this is highly unusual and he doesn't know what to make of it
      • Nick pens another message asking for more information
      • A message is received in return that only has 6 words
        • The order of the red omen
      • This doesn't really give any additional information, and Gosnald (the master) doesn't really know anything else either, he pulls a scroll that he says might have more information and gives it to Nick/Erica
      • They then leave to return to the inn
  • Walter and Jin are acting as bodyguards for Rory (Walter is getting drunk)
    • The wizard from the other party approaches Walter
    • Walter and the wizard begin drinking together
    • Walter gives fake name of Albert
    • The other mercenary party leaves on good terms with Walter
    • Innkeeper is safe!
• The group reunites back at the inn
• Jin saw the other mercenary group heading North out of the town
• Jin takes out the scroll received by Nick/Erica and starts to read it
  • The scroll is a story about those who chase after power and the consequences of doing so
  • Scroll is probably several thousand years old
  • Story tell about those that seek power, comes with a price that is too high to be paid
  • There were six individuals that called themselves the order of the red omen that sought such power
  • They all met untimely ends
• We decide to go to Rizz and tell her everything we know and see if she knows anything about what is going on
• She doesn't know anything about them and has never heard of them
  • She promises a 30% discount if the information leads to her surviving a bad event
• We decide to go seek an audience with the local ruler (Vicadium)
• We explain things to the Vicacadium (Malhorta al Maz)
• He is concerned about the council of the few packing up and leaving
  • He is going to try to get more information from Gosnald
• Otherwise, he will just keep an elevated alert level
• The group sets off to the North on some horses to follow the group to try to get information
• There is heavy rain and it is unseasonably cold (we get disadvantage on perception checks)
• We manage to find the trail that the other mercenary group has left
  • The trail seems to be appearing and disappearing randomly at intervals (~30 ft)
• Nick uses detect magic
  • He notices that where the tracks disappear, it glows with yellow conjuration magic
  • We figure out that this is probably the work of misty step
• We decide to continue pursuing the other party and make our way to the entrance of the ruins
• We decide to stakeout the entrance and Nick+Jin build a hunter's hide
• As we are staking out the entrance, the ground starts to shake
• At the entrance, 50 animated skeletons rush out and are rushing south towards the city
  • Their arms are actually fused with weapons and they look quite mean